Is genitourinary medicine meeting the contraception needs of clinic attendees?

Abstract

Providing a service that incorporates both sexually transmitted infection (STI) treatment and contraception may provide an opportunity to reduce the spread of infection and unintended pregnancies by identifying women using inadequate contraception. Genitourinary (GU) medicine clinics are well equipped to do this. This study looked at current contraception needs of, and provision where inadequate to, new patients attending a department of GU medicine. Two hundred consecutive new patients ranging in age from 13-60 years were included in the study. Overall 164 (82%) women attending for testing for STIs had no contraceptive needs. In this GU medicine clinic population the majority of attendees were using a reliable form of contraception correctly. Where contraception was inadequate there was discussion of this and documentation of the advice and/or treatment given in the notes of all except one woman. This suggests that for this group of women their attendance at a GU medicine clinic was appropriate to meet their main need, which was related to STIs, and where contraception was inadequate this was managed appropriately within the GU medicine clinic attendance.